GROUP 5

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The Business
Letter
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Importance of Business Letter

To the college graduate, knowledge of how to write an effective letter of application serves a
very useful purpose. He needs a job, but employment is seldom given on a golden platter. He
has to look for a job and this search is initiated with letters of application.
Companies sell either their services or their products. An engineering corporation sells
machinery; a pharmaceutical corporation sells the drugs it manufactures; a medical clinic sells
its services. Knowing how to compose dynamic sales letters is an asset for advancement on
the job.
Companies, offices, schools, need to order raw materials, office supplies, books equipment.
One has to compose letters of order or of inquiry.
Sometimes the goods ordered by the customer are not the items received. In such a case
writes a letter of claim. Response to a letter of claim is called a letter to claim is called a letter
of adjustment.
These it need therefore for college students to be proficient in writing business letters.
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The Effective Business Letter

The criteria for effective business letters are better remembered as four C’s: com- pleteness,
conciseness, clarity, and courtesy.

A. Completeness. Completeness means the inclusion of all necessary details to avoid

writing other letters to ask for the missing information. For example, the president of the
club has to invite a guest speaker for a seminar on computer technology. Details in the
letter of invitation should include:

B. 1) Date and time of the seminar

C. 2) Room and building (venue) where the seminar is to be held 3) Expected audience
approximate number and age range

D. 3) Specific topic to be covered by the speaker/theme of the seminar

E. 4) Provision for open forum

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B. Conciseness

To be concise is to convey the message in as few words as possible without

sacrificing the meaning. Economy of words is the rule in business. Unnecessary
words and expressions should be omitted and hackneyed expressions avoided
like: “I received your letter of the 10th instant,” or “Hoping for your continued
patron- age, I beg to remain…”, “Enclosed please find.” “We acknowledge receipt
of your kind letter” are stereotyped expressions that have lost their impact. They
are also wordy and can be said simply and directly.
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C. Clarity

Expressing one’s ideas or thoughts clearly and accurately demands a mastery of

sentence structure and the meaning of words. Words with the same sound
(homonyms) but with different meanings confuse young writers. Advice (noun)
should not be confused with advise (verb); it’s (contractions of it is) with its
(possessive form) their (possessive form) with there (adverb) and they’re
(contraction of they are); your with you’re (contraction of you are); piece (a
portion or part) with peace (absence of war).
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The rule is precision in the use of words. Already has a different meaning
from all ready: altogether from all together, lose from loose or from loss;
continual from continuous: farther from further.

Using concrete nouns instead of abstract terms, strong verbs instead of

weak verbs, help in conveying ideas clearly. Instead of saying. “The
various concerns of our office precluded our shipment of your goods
earlier,” state what those concerns are. Say “The flooding of our
warehouse and the absence of many of our workers prevented the early
shipment of your order.” “Please do your work faster” can be expressed
in a more concrete way: “Please type these letters in fifteen minutes” or
“Deliver this message to Mr. Cinco before 9 o’clock this morning.
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D. Courtesy

How many customers have been lost to a company because of a

discourteous employee! A smile, a courteous greeting, offers of assistance,
can help win a contract. Letters, too, can gain customers, earn their good will,
and retain their patronage. The usual expressions of courtesy like “Will you
please” or “Thank you” or “Would you like to” are like magnets that attract.

Another way of showing courtesy is by using the you point of view in our
letters. The you attitude means considering the interest, feelings, and
background of the reader.

Avoiding the use of negative statements like “Your letter arrived late; hence
we could not ship your order earlier” helps create good will. A courteous way
would be to write: “We attended to your order on the day we received your
letter. Did your receive it on time?”
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THE LETTER OF APPLICATION

What does the job seeker sell in his letter of application? Whether he is seeking
employment for the first time or is looking for a better-paying job, the key to success
in landing a job is his qualifications and the manner these are presented in his letter
of application. A well-written letter of application results in getting an interview which
may lead to employment.

The letter of application may be solicited or unsolicited. The solicited letter of

application is written is answer to an advertisement, the unsolicited letter of
application is written to a company in the hope that there might be a possible
opening. A good letter of application should be able to attract favorable attention,
create desire, induce conviction, and stimulate action.
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Attracting Favorable Attention

The appearance of the letter and its opening paragraph can

definitely get the attention of the reader. Hence, the letter should
be typed neatly, the different parts of the letter properly placed, and
a picture-frame effect is created by the use of uniform margins at
the top and at the bottom and at the left and at the right. Aside
from the physical appearance of the letter, a fresh, original
beginning gains immediate attention.
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Example 1:

May I take a few minutes of your time long enough to point out
how I could save time and effort for a busy executive in your
Designs Department? As a designing engineer, here is what I
offer.

Example 2:

Your advertisement in Manila Bulletin, February 20, 1994 issue,

interests me much; it offers me the opportunity to use my training
and experience to build low-cost houses for the less fortunate in
our society.
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Creating Desire

How does an applicant create desire on the part of the prospective

employer? He can do this by showing that his qualifications meet
the requirements of the job. These qualifications should be stated
in an interesting manner to make the employer conclude that the
applicant is the man for the job, considering his education,
training, and experience.
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Example 1:

You are looking for a young man to keep your book of accounts?

My 300 semester hours of accountancy, coupled with training on

the job for two semesters in A.J. Company as bookkeeper, has
given me sufficient know-how to handle the job you advertised in
the Philippine Daily Inquirer. I shall graduate in March with a
degree of Bachelor of Science in Commerce, major in accounting,
hopefully among the top ten of the class.
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Example 2:

Your company needs young men and women, creative and

energetic, for the branch you are opening in Caloocan. A new
college graduate, I have proven my boundless energy with the
various top positions I held in important organizations in school.
The projects initiated under my chairmanship were cited by our
school administrators for their creativity and successful
implementation. Enclosed are some letters of commendation for
your perusal.
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Convincing the Employer

Arousing interest and desire of the prospective employer should

logically lead to a more positive step-that of convincing the
prospective employer that the applicant will be an asset to the
company. How does the applicant do this?

The statement he made earlier to aouse the interest of the employer

should be supplemented with specific details. What positions did he
occupy in the Various student organizations? What were those
creative projects for which he was commended?
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Letters of recommendation from a former teacher, the dean, a supervisor in the

office where the applicant had his practicum, or the barangay captain may be
enclosed or presented during the interview.

Enclosing samples of work done, like correspondence, proposals, art work, and
like is also a way of proving one’s ability to use the language and his creativity in
ex- pressing an idea. Results of tests, like PBET, civil service examinations, board
examinations, or psychological and intelligence tests are also good to mention,
especially if the applicant ranked high in the test. Enclosing a personal date sheet
is SOP for all applicants. Here is an example:
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THAT’S ALL AND THANK YOU!